The Saxon Saga Wiki
Welcome to the The Saxon Saga Wiki This wiki page examines and describes the main plot, characters, and motifs presented in Nancy Farmer's The Saxon Saga. The truth behind the fantasy The Sea of Trolls is a great young adult fantasy story about journey of two children kidnapped by unfriendly forces need to fight for their lives. Through many battles and adventures, Jack and Lucy try to break free from the Vikings captivity and, at the same time, learn how to make sacrifices. Behind the great plot, Nancy Farmer prepared something more for the reader – a well thought fantasy setting, based on mythology and history. Familiar names and places are the factors, that make this book so pleasurable. Farmer does not deny reaping the inspiration from Norse mythology. Her medieval world presented in the Saxon Saga is full of references. For example, trolls which seems to be most frequently appearing creatures in the plot. Troll king, half-troll queen, troll-pig... Trolls have a long history in Norse mythology. As Farmers notes in her interview with James Blasingame, they ruled in the high ground in Norway in times similar to those described in books. Researchers found some information indicating that trolls had their own family tries, even now some people seem to be their descendants. Male and female were distinguishable, and despite their apparition, Farmer “guess ... that trolls were a unique tribe like the Ainu of Japan or the Chuckchee of Siberia.” ( Blasingame, 1) What is more, the story presents people called Picts. Again, they are creatures from a mythology, this time Celtic. Many sources report that they were people that earlier lived on the former territory of Scotland. However, their history is not that clear. Warriors, using unknown language, great artists, no one really knows when they appeared and when they vanished. Their name was also their description - their bodies were covered with tattoos made with war paints. One can not forget about Yggdrasil and Mimir's Well, both being somehow the core of Norse mythology. The tree of immortality and the water that gives knowledge appear repeatedly in many myths, reaffirming Farmer's books position in the field of mythopoeia and bringing a smile to the faces of all Norse mythology admirers. As the counterweight to legendary world of ancient Celts and Northman, the book is full of familiar places. The reader knows that the action takes place in Europe. Jack and his sister live in England and they are kidnapped by Vikings. With the setting that ring a bell, it is easier for the reader to understand the plot and find a placed himself in it. If not for some changes, the story could be received as boring, but here Farmer introduces some novelty. The magical world, to which the reader can easily acquaint, is filled with female characters like figures of monsters, queens that rule the country or eleven years old berserk. A pinch of feminism in the world that seems to be matriarchal, makes it much more interesting. With all myths and places Farmer borrows for her book, she tries to convey a message to younger readers. The author admits, that she wanted to reach out to younger audience. “I wanted to deal with the theme on a mythological level children could tolerate.” she points out in one of the interviews. The same way other children stories and fairy-tales often use symbols to forward a message and morals, Farmer used this fantasy setting to represent events and learn how to behave. How to be brave. Mythopoeia, Justice Issues and Motifs There are several traces demonstrating that The Sea of Trolls, The Land of the Silver Apples, and The Islands of the Blessed are part of the center of fantasy – mythopoeic fantasy. One of the features is the struggle between good and evil, in The Saxon Saga appearing as a struggle between life and the unlife. Read more> Nancy Farmer Nancy Farmer '(Born on 7th July 1941 in Phoenix, Arizona) - an American Young Adult fantasy and science fiction writer, mostly known for ''The Saxon Saga and ''The House of the Scorpion. ''She attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon, in 1963 earning her BA. She joined the Peace Corps and was sent to India (1963-1965). When she returned she went to Berkley and sold newspapers on the street for a while, then got a job in the Entomology department at UC Berkley and also took courses in Chemistry there. She spent a year living alone on Lake Cabora Bassa in Mozambiqu, monitoring water weeds. Later she was hired to help control the tsetse fly in Zambezi in Zimbabwe. She met her future husband in Harare and few weeks later they married in 1976). Currently she lives in Menlo Park in California. She has one son named Danile, who is in the U.S. navy. Read more> The Sea of Trolls The beginning, as it usually is, starts idyllic. '''Jack, an eleven year old boy, lives with his mother, father, and sister in a small village in England, at the seaside. His sister, Lucy, is seven. They all live in a village, like many other, in which dominates Christianity, spreading around the globe. Just outside the village lives a skald,' The Bard', a shipwreck who settled in the village. Jack becomes the Bard’s apprentice, who teaches him about the life force. One day Jack finds a wooden chest with images of wolves and men engraved on it, containing a substance allowing Northmen go berserk. Soon after, when Jack and the Bard are thinking about stopping the Vikings, a wounded monk from Holy Isle comes to the village. His name is Aiden, and he is the only survivor of the Viking raid on the island. From that moment Jack and the Bard are conjuring the mist to hide the village. The next night the Bard is attacked by a Nightmare, sent by half-troll''' Frith''' to kill the skald. Frith is now queen of the Northmen, but also sister of Frothi, who was killed by''' Beowulf''' with the help of the Bard. The skald is hurt during the fight with the Nightmare and loses his wits, so Jack continues to conjure mist by himself. In the morning he and Lucy are being caught by Northmen with their leader Olaf One-brow, and taken to the ship to be sold as thralls, slaves. Read more > The Land of the Silver Apples Jack is treated as he was treated before. He is not considered a hero. The villagers are preparing for the celebration of winter solstice, the longest night of the year. At that day every fire in every house in the village is put out. Most of the villagers gather in chief’s cottage and together with the Bard they ignite the Need Fire, which is the fire that will ensure that Jotuns will stay in their own realm. After igniting the Need Fire, a girl would fire a candle and take it to everyone in the village, so that they could ignite their house fires from that candle. Lucy is the one that is to carry out the ritual of lightening the candle. Unfortunately she is wearing an iron necklace, and it was forbidden, because iron or even silver could spoil the Need Fire. That was the same necklace Thorgil had stolen on one of their raids. He had to give it as a gift to Queen Frith, and Queen Frith gave it to Lucy. Read more > The Islands of the Blessed Jack and Thorgil are now 14 years old. Pega and Thorgil lives with Jack and his parents. They also shelter Tanner’s widow and her two daughters. One day all of sudden a strange storm appears out of nowhere and turns out to be the wild hunt, a ghastly pursuit rampaging the sky, destroying what’s on its path. The hunt is led by Odin himself, and Thorgil also spots Olaf among the warriors. They damage the village and kidnap two village fools. Read more > References http://www.orkneyjar.com/history/picts/ James Blasingame, “Interview with Nancy Farmer.” Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy 48.1 (2004): 78-79. 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